


Parting Strands

by Redrikki



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Episode Tag, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 08:52:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17280962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redrikki/pseuds/Redrikki
Summary: Looking out for each other had been their thing, but Adora's starting to suspect that's over. Her thoughts duringthatscene in "Promise."





	Parting Strands

**Author's Note:**

> Written for so many bingo prompts: "Falling" for Hurt/Comfort Bingo, "That Moment" for Gen Prompt Bingo, and "Best Friends" for Ladies Bingo.

Glimmer and Bow may have had inside jokes and matching outfits at parties, but Adora and Catra looked out for each other. It was what they did. It was their thing. When Catra skipped out on training, Adora covered for her. When Adora was s feeling low, Catra curled up at the foot of her bed. When they were hurt, they’d patch each other up. When they were sick, they’d sneak each other food. And, when they fell down, they would lift each other up. Looking into Catra’s cold, cold eyes, it occurred to Adora that might not be true any more. 

Adora dangled from the cliff, clinging desperately to a bit of spider silk. She grunted, struggling to pull herself up, but it was no use. She couldn’t unstick her hands to climb. “Catra, help me. Please.”

The last time she’d been in this situation had been just a few months ago at the end of a Horde training simulation. Catra had laughed at her predicament, then bent down to help her up. They’d joked about it after, but Adora never once thought her friend would let her fall. Now Catra studied the sword in her hand like she was actually considering it.

“This thing wouldn’t work for me, would it? It only works for you. Then again,” she said, waving it carelessly, “you’re special. That’s what Shadow Weaver always said.”

“Catra, what are you doing?” 

Just last week, Adora had stopped Catra from falling to her death. Twice. In one night. Pulling her back her as she started to go over? Grabbing her hand as they both fell? It had been instinctive. Yeah, they were on different sides now, but it wasn’t like it was personal. She’d been looking after Catra so long, it wasn’t like she could just stop now.

Apparently Catra didn’t feel that way.

“Ah, you know, it all makes sense now.” She wandered away from the from the edge, so far Adora couldn’t even see her, but at least she was still here. At least she was still talking. Adora’s heart sunk as she listened to what her friend actually said.

“You’ve always been the one holding me back. You wanted me to think I needed you. You wanted me to feel weak.” She stepped back into view, her lips twisted in a bitter line. “Every hero needs a sidekick, right? 

“Catra, no. That’s not how it was.”

Did she really not understand the memories they had just watched? Adora had never wanted a sidekick. She’d just wanted a living friend. Back when they were kids, she would have followed Catra anywhere. Her friend’s utter fearlessness had made her feel like, together, they could do anything. She would have _gladly_ been Catra’s sidekick.

Then Shadow Weaver had put Catra’s life in her hands. If she let Catra run wild; Catra would die. If Adora was anything less than absolutely perfect; Catra would die. If she’d been bossy, if she’d held Catra back, it wasn’t because she’d wanted to be in charge. It had been because she was afraid of what might happen to her friend if she wasn’t. All that responsibility. There had been times she could barely breath from the weight of it. 

Catra hadn’t seen it then, and she wasn’t interested in listening now. She laughed, wild and bitter, and knelt down, but not to help.

“The sad thing is, I’ve spent all this time hoping you’d come back to the Horde, when really, you leaving was the best thing that ever happened to me.”   
There was something in her eyes that scared Adora. Catra had always had a mean streak, a deep-seated anger that sent her lashing out at the world around her, but never at Adora. Oh, sure, there’d been a stolen belonging here, or a biting comment there, but she’d never really hurt her. Adora had a sinking feeling that was about to change.

“I am so much stronger than anyone ever thought,” she said, slowly slicing through the spider silk. 

Adora gasped as she lost one of her handholds, but Catra just kept slicing. “I wonder what I could have been if I’d gotten rid of you sooner,” she mused as the last strand parted and Adora fell.

Her fingers managed to catch on the tiniest of outcrops and Catra looked almost disappointed. Her best friend was disappointed she hadn’t plummeted to her death. How had they come to this?

“I’m sorry,” Adora cried, her eyes burning as she struggled to hold back tears. “I never meant to make you feel like you were second best. Please don’t do this.”

Adora had fallen pretty far, but Catra could have saved her if she wanted to. She’d always been resourceful. She could have lowered some spider silk or used the sword to hack off one of the monster’s arms and use that, but she didn’t. Even after everything, it seemed they were done looking out for each other. She dropped the sword over the edge. It clattered away into the darkness.

“Goodbye, Adora. I really am going to miss you.” The world seemed to dissolve around her as she turned away. The sound of her footsteps was lost in the pounding of Adora’s heart. 

Catra had always been the one thing Adora could count on, even after she left the Horde, but now she was gone. It felt too big to be called a betrayal. It was like loosing a piece of herself. Adora would have sworn that life in the Fight Zone had beaten it out of her, but, for the first time in a long time, she began to cry.

“Adora, let go.” Light Hopes voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. 

Did she mean her handhold or their friendship? Did it matter? Adora’s fingers burned and her heart ached. She was past the point where she could hold on to either. She loosened her grip and let herself fall into darkness.


End file.
